Wondering what it takes to lose 120lbs

I lost 135 and have been maintaining for about 8 months now. My first piece of advice is not to focus on that 120 number. Break it into smaller increments (maybe 10 or 20 lbs) and celebrate the reaching of each goal. As time passes you will suddenly see that all those increments added up! Also, realize you aren't going on a diet--you are changing your way of living. If you don't, you will simply gain it back when you are done. So make changes that are sustainable...forever. Feel free to ask questions or friend me if you want. Best of luck!

I'm a dude, last year at this time I weighed in at over 300 lbs. 306 to be exact. I had the same thought process as you, although I am ashamed that it took until 306 to feel that way. Anyway, there were a few factors that made me really want to lose weight...most of it was (and still is) the fact that I'm lonely, and my weight is holding me back in the self esteem department. In March of 2017, I decided enough was enough, and I've since dropped ~44 lbs and I keep losing. Granted, that's a really slow burn--others who are more diligent will lose a lot more than that, but I'm still happy with my progress.

That said, here's what I did (and am still doing):
First, it's very important to convince yourself that you're really ready to lose whatever weight you may have gained. By no means are you in a situation like I was (I was, and still am WAY morbidly obese), but I understand wanting to keep from gaining more. You just have to put your foot down and decide that you're going to lose whatever you want. It's not easy, but it's so worth it.

Second, keep an eye on what you eat. In my experience, you can eat what you want, but everything has to be in moderation. If you eat a lot of carbs and bad fats, you're going to lose much more slowly than if you load up on fruit and vegetables. Vegetables, fruits, eggs...anything with fiber...will keep you fuller longer too, so keep that in mind. You don't have to cut out junk completely, just watch how much of it you eat, and like someone else mentioned, you just need to make sure you don't consume too many calories. If you eat more than your daily allotment, go for a walk or do some cardio for 20-30 mins a day. If you're already super active, you shouldn't have to worry about burning too many more calories...just watch your intake.

MyFitnessPal helped me there. Just log in daily or whatever works best for you, set up a goal, and it'll tell you how many calories you can consume. If you stay under that goal, you should be able to lose weight that way. Ultimately, it just boils down to your lifestyle and the decision to really change how you're going about every day life. For me, at 29 years old, it was literally a matter of life or death. You're lucky enough to not be in that position, and you have all the resources available to keep from getting to that point.

As far as not holding back others, it can be tricky to watch what you eat when others around you are eating whatever they want. That's a problem I run into a lot. The key factor is self control. You can eat whatever they're eating, you just might want to avoid seconds or heaping servings. If it's dessert? Try taking a smaller portion, but under no circumstance should you avoid it altogether.

Dieting is about getting healthier and being able to enjoy life. Cutting out food you like seems counterproductive. Again, I'm mostly sharing my thoughts, and I understand our circumstances differ quite drastically, but I hope this helps you somehow. Good luck.